Better than Dreams
by ZeldaDragon
Summary: Tobias visits Rachel the night after she gets her award. Set right after book 13. RachelTobias. Short and sweet.


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And another of those short stories I'm becoming known for. I don't know many authors over here in this section, so I hope all you and any one else who reads this enjoys it.

This takes place immediately after book 13 and starts right where that one ended. Tobias' PoV. This is my first fic for this genre, and most likely my last. I might - _might _- rewrite this in Rachel's point of view to post, but we'll see. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I own no characters mentioned in this story; all belong to K. A. Applegate.

I'll be honest with you. I haven't read Animorphs in an incredibly long time. They came out back when I was still in elementary school and I'm in high school now. I'd like to apologize in advance for any mistakes I may have made. I did a tiny bit of research (which really only includes rereading a few of the books) before I wrote this, so I hope there's nothing hugely wrong here. O_o 

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For those of you who'd like to know, here's a bit of 'history' behind the inspiration for this after such a long time: Last weekend, I was forced to clean out my room. I had finished after a good seven hours of trash bags and boxes. Then, ironically, my mom said that 'cleaning my room' also meant cleaning out under my bed. Oh, the horror! It actually wasn't that bad. Lots and lots of dust (and sneezing), but I also found a lot of treasures. I found my little Leo the Lop stuffed animal from those Serendipity Books I used to read all the time, but that's off the subject. Anyway as fate, I suppose, would have it, the very last box I pulled out contained every single Animorphs book I owned (which includes all of the accompaniment books and all of the ones from the actual series up until I found something else that caught my interest at that young and fickle age). Well, seeing those interesting covers and titles again, I picked up the one that had been my favorite (_The Visitor_, #2) and read all of it again in less than an hour. After that, I just couldn't help myself. I read more and more. Of course, when I read the books for the first time when I was a lot younger, I didn't catch the little hints the author put in about the love that could have formed between Rachel and Tobias. Though I did find the hints to Cassie and Jake. I guess I didn't find the things between the other two because at the time, Rachel was not really a favorite character f mine; Cassie was. But now that I've reread some, I think Rachel is my favorite. Tobias is cool too. Hence, this story was formed in my mind and would _not _leave me alone until it was written. Wow…that took a while to get out. Thanks, if you're still reading. =D

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Rachel didn't say a word, just stood there sort of gaping at me. She had opened her mouth to speak when someone called her, saying to hurry up. Still not having said anything, she smiled widely at me and rushed off to catch up with the people she had been following.

I wanted to stay, I really did, but I just couldn't. A claustrophobic feeling had surrounded me at having to be enclosed in the windowless walls, even for such a short period of time. And that teacher was still sending sidelong glances at me. It was all too much to handle at once. Stealing one last look at Rachel, who had joined the others, I made my break and ran out the door into the hall that led outside.

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A little while later, I flew to Rachel's house. There was no car in the driveway, which meant her mother wasn't home. I headed for the open window of the room I had visited so many times. I flew inside and cautiously landed on the back of the desk chair. I could tell from the silence that no one was home.

Curiously, I looked around Rachel's room. Just because I had been in here before didn't mean I knew exactly what she kept. I glanced at the piles of papers on the desk. Rachel's distinguishable handwriting covered the pages. I saw a character analysis on someone from the _Fall of the House of Usher _and a report on the Revolutionary War. There were also pages of Algebra notes, covered in doodles. I noticed that interestingly enough most of these doodles were animals. What a strange coincidence. Notice my sarcasm? Above the desk was a calendar. I looked at today. _Awards ceremony, Dinner with Mom._

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Well, I thought to myself, _That explains a lot. _It was starting to get dark. Looking at the clock mounted on the wall by the door, I saw that it was close to seven. Figuring she'd be back soon, I decided to stay and hang around.

I didn't have to wait long, though, before a car pulled up and noise could be heard downstairs as Rachel's younger sisters bustled around the living room. I could hear someone coming up the stairs. My heart began pounding. I didn't know I was nervous…

The door flew open. Rachel came inside and closed the door again. It was dark in the room, and she hadn't noticed me yet. She turned away from me and flicked on a small lamp beside her bed, casting the pale blue walls with a soft light. Still not having seen me, she moved toward her dresser, which was on the other side of the room. She rummaged through one of the drawers and pulled out a long shirt and pair of flannel pants. 

I realized with a wave of panic that she was about to _undress_. Why hadn't I said anything? What in the world was I doing? Why was I even here?! I would have been blushing, if hawks could blush. Sheepishly, I made a soft chirping sound and fluffed my feathers.

Rachel jumped and whirled around, dropping her pajamas on the bed. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Tobias?" she asked, a little baffled.

Hi, Rachel, I said, repeating my words from earlier.

Rachel smiled and sat on her bed facing me. "Hi," Silence fell again. I didn't know what to say to her, and it looked like she felt the same way. After an awkward moment, she blurted, "Were you at the ceremony today?" Color instantly rose in her cheeks and she looked away. "Sorry, I know…it's impossible. I must be crazy,"

No, I fluffed my feathers a bit more. It was a bit chilly in here. I was there, 

Rachel stared at me, confusion evident in her eyes. Then it dawned on her. "The Ellimist…" She looked away, trying to sort through this knowledge.

Not entirely sure if it was a great idea or not, I hopped to the ground. I may not be human permanently, but… I made up my mind. This wasn't really for personal gain or anything, so no one could be upset with me for morphing for no real reason. Believe me, I've heard the lectures.

Rachel watched me as I closed my large hawk eyes and concentrated. She watched as I grew, as my wings turned to arms and hands, as I became the boy I used to be. It was a pretty strange feeling to be kneeling on the floor in my nearly completed human body. I still had my eyes closed when I was finished, afraid to see her reaction.

"Oh, Tobias," she breathed, sliding off the bed and sitting on the floor beside me. "Open your eyes,"

I did. The soft light made it difficult to see with my bird eyes gone. But I could see Rachel; she was sitting in front of me, just staring. She must have noticed that I was shaking because she asked, "Are you cold?" It was a pointless question since I was, after all, only wearing a pair of gym shorts.

Rachel reached behind her and grabbed the large shirt she was going to wear from the foot of the bed and handed it to me. Our fingers brushed as I took the shirt from her hand and pulled it on. A little thing, yes, but it was the first real contact we'd made since before…well, before I was destined to be a hawk for the rest of my life.

"Thanks," I whispered hoarsely, still not quite used to talking out loud again.

She smiled at me. Our eyes caught and locked. Amazed, Rachel reached out and touched my hair, running the short strands through her fingers. Her hand moved down to rest on my cheek and she brought her other hand up, putting it on the other side. She rubbed her thumbs under my eyes. Without meaning to, I leaned into her touch. I grabbed her fingers with my own, gently stopping their movement.

Rachel made a short gasping noise, like she was about to start sobbing or something. "Look at you," she choked, "You're…_you_. I never thought…" 

I smiled shakily at her, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, Tobias," she continued, awe-struck, "I never though I would see you like this again,"

I pulled her into a hug, reveling in the fact that I could actually wrap my arms around someone. She leaned into me and rested her head against my chest, letting her own arms snake around my back, sighing in content. My hand found it's way into her hair and I fisted my fingers around the soft golden tresses. Rachel kept whispering my name, still seeming astonished.

"Honey!" her mother suddenly called up the stairs. Rachel jerked out of my arms, startled, and suddenly afraid of what would happen if she was caught with me, an actual boy at the moment, in her room.

"Yes…" Her voice cracked as she sprang to her feet. "What?"

"Would you like any more cake before I put it away?" I would have laughed if I wasn't as afraid of getting caught as my friend. I stood quietly and backed up to the window.

"No, thanks," She locked the door as a precaution before turning back to me.

"Cake?" I raised an eyebrow, something I haven't done in a very long time.

"Um, yeah," Rachel looked down, biting back a laugh. "My mom gets a little carried away sometimes."

I smirked at her and walked forward again. She watched me, returning my smile. Once I was close enough, she reached out and touched my shoulders. "This is just a morph, though, isn't it? You're still a hawk." It wasn't really a question. More of a statement.

My smile turned into a sad grin. "Yes," This time instead of having her make the first move, I did. I cupped her face in my hands and was surprised to find her cheeks wet with silent tears. When had she started crying? I wiped them away with my thumbs and pulled her forehead to rest against mine. 

"I have to go," I whispered, "It's getting late,"

"Why?" She sounded so…tired, but not in the way that she wanted to sleep. It was hard to explain, really.

When I didn't answer, Rachel laced her fingers behind my neck. "Tobias," She raised her eyes slowly to meet mine, which were only a few centimeters away. "Why did you come?"

I had no answer for her. I didn't even have one for myself. Why _was _I here? I had wanted to see her, I knew that much. But why I wanted to see _her _and not Jake or Cassie or someone was beyond me. Why was I here? That's a very good question.

"I don't know," I said out loud. "I just wanted to see you, I guess,"

"Me?" Rachel gave a sharp laugh. She pulled her head away a bit to look me right in the face. "Why me? Why not one of the others?"

Was this girl a mind reader or something? Gosh, this is intimidating. "I don't know," I said again. "Maybe because you're a friend."

"Aren't Cassie and them friends, too?" she asked, looking a little…hurt? She looked hurt? Now not only is she intimidating, but she's confusing, too. But hasn't she always been? Yes, of course. She's Rachel.

"Well, yeah," I replied to her question. "But you're…" I paused to search for the right way to say what I wanted to say. "You're special to me," As soon as those words were out of my mouth, I felt mortified. _Special to me? _What was that? Where did that _come _from?

Things started to make a bit more sense when Rachel said quietly, "You're special to me, too,"

My heart pounded as she leaned even closer than the few centimeters. Now our faces were _milli_meters apart. I suddenly felt weak in the knees. What was going on with me? I stared into Rachel's eyes as though I could find the answer in those dark blue depths. She stared back, making my heart pound faster. I could feel her breath on my cheek and all of my thoughts jumbled. Then it hit me. Hard. How could I have been so oblivious before? Oh yeah. Maybe it was because I was a _bird _the whole time.

"Tobias?" Rachel whispered, "Are you all right?"

I could only nod, not trusting my voice to be anywhere near as calm as hers. I loved her. Not some dumb crush you get on that girl who doesn't even know you're alive. Oh, no. This was real. All too real. I am really, truly, in love with Rachel. The only person who ever accepted me, made me feel cared for. Made me feel loved for the first time in my life. This revelation sure cleared up a lot.

"Look at me," Her voice was so soft, pleading almost. She moved one of her hands from behind my neck and lifted my chin. We were almost the same height, me being only a little taller. Not that it matters or anything. She swallowed nervously. Wait a second…Rachel swallowed _nervously_? She was nervous? A moment later, I knew why.

Without warning, she closed the distance between us and pressed her lips to mine in a sweet, open-mouthed kiss. My legs would have buckled right there from sheer shock - and pleasure - if she hadn't been leaning into me again. I wrapped my arms tightly around her well defined waist, holding her closer. I had never been kissed before, much less actually initiating the whole thing, so I didn't really know what to do. I was quite naïve when it came to things like this

Rachel seemed to know this so she took charge, like usual. Would you call me a wimp for letting her take charge? I'd like to see _you _try to boss _her _around. You wouldn't get very far before she bit off your head. Literally. I lost my trail of thought, though, as she gently nipped my lower lip with her teeth before pulling back. We were both redder than the maroon carpet, I'm sure.

"Wow," was all I could say. I felt like a fool. Wasn't it the guy who was supposed to always know what to say and stuff? Yeah, well not me. I was completely speechless.

Rachel smiled shyly up at me. "Sorry," she said, a little out of breath.

"What for?" I asked, talking as quietly as I could, still not fully trusting my voice to stay steady.

"For…for kissing you," She looked down, suddenly bashful. "It just sorta came over me,"

I grinned and redirected her gaze by touching her cheek. "Don't be sorry," I said, "I didn't mind in the least. I actually kinda liked it. My first kiss," Wonderful. Now I'm even more embarrassed that I was before.

She returned my smile. "And mine," Okay, well maybe not as much so anymore.

We were silent for a moment, soaking in everything that had just happened. We were still wrapped in each other's arms, and standing _very _close.

"I have to go," I murmured into her ear, repeating what I had said earlier. Which apparently had had little effect. I gave her a slight hug and stepped back out of her warm embrace. 

I reluctantly pulled off the huge shirt and handed it back to her. She took it with wide, innocent eyes, seeming to be considering something to say. Just as I was about to demorph, she grabbed my arm.

"Wait," Rachel said, her voice strangely thick. She dipped my head with her hand and kissed me again. This time, though, it was more of a chaste brushing of the lips. Still, nothing I didn't enjoy. She pulled back just as quickly as she'd come.

I was about to start concentrating on my now original body, but I couldn't leave her thinking that I didn't return the way she felt. Even without her saying, I just knew that she loved me, too. I don't know how I knew, but I did. Besides, I don't think we're quite at the whole big time to admit our feelings just yet. 

I reached out and pulled her back to me, unable to resist, and pressed my mouth back to hers. I felt her smile against my lips before I released her.

"I know why I came here now," I kept my voice soft. "I'll be back tomorrow, I promise,"

"I know," Rachel smiled almost sadly, a melancholy gleam in her eyes, as I shrank back into the hawk's body. I hopped onto the arm she offered me and jumped down, my wings carrying me out the open window. 

As I flew away toward my meadow, I felt completed, somehow. Something inside me had finally clicked. I knew that I was in love, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world. But Rachel, who I am certain is The One, is a _human_. And me? I'm a bird.

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~* You know it's love when you can't fall asleep because reality is better than dreams. *~


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